The perilous implications of fluidity of personal identity
Dear Editor,
Fluidity of personal identity being advocated by various groups has lots of implications which I do not think are being considered in the push to have the concept normalised.
Advocates in many countries desire changes in gender, age, and race and, given how things are going, Jamaica at some point might have to contend with these issues in a definitive way. I believe that any contemplation of fluidity of these fundamental bases of personal identity would be incomplete if the changes being sought were to be limited only to the rules to normalise the practice in the ways in which they are being done now.
If all the implications were to be taken to their logical conclusion, it would demonstrate that granting the rights being sought by these groups is not as simple or constructive as being claimed by some.
For instance, if a 50-year-old male were to be allowed to identify as a 13-year-old female and as such allowed to compete in a swimming competition with 13-year-old girls — which is said to have happened — it stands to reason that this person should also be treated as a 13-year-old girl in every other way and, therefore, all rights and privileges associated with being an adult for that person would have to be immediately suspended and such person be treated in every way as a minor under the law — with all that this implies — until the individual reaches the age once more to be qualified as an adult, among other things.
There are several issues that would also have to be considered as far as fluidity in other aspects of personal identity is being sought, and no discussion aimed at granting these rights would make sense or be constructive if dealing with these related issues in a logical way should be excluded. People cannot be allowed to cherry-pick what they consider to be the advantageous features in each area of identity, while everything else remains the same, and so there would have to be far more to any such discussion than being currently highlighted.
Even then, it is my belief that making the fundamental bases of personal identity fluid, as is being currently sought by interest groups, has perilous implications, which are probably some of the disadvantageous possibilities of democracy.
Winston Foster
Chairman
Albert Town High School
irieproducers@hotmail.com
